#AskTheHIVDoc: I'm Undetectable – Do I Still Have HIV?

Dr. Demetre explains that being undetectable means that HIV is suppressed but not gone.

These videos are provided for educational purposes and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition.

TRANSCRIPT:
Dr. Demetre: If I’m undetectable does that mean that I don’t have HIV anymore?
You have some questions? We know HIV.
Dr. David: I’m a doctor. I’m trained for this.
Dr. Leandro: We’re gonna give you what you need.
Dr. Demetre: There is no cure for HIV. I wish I could look in the camera to you and say that there is, but there’s not. What we do have are fantastic HIV medicines and even more fantastic people who are taking them, who stay on them, and get their virus very low in their body. That’s what undetectable means. It means that it’s suppressed. The way I like to tell my patients about this is, we can suppress or turn the virus down so low that you can’t find it in their blood. That doesn’t mean that it’s not in their bodies. It’s just that the meds are doing a really – actually you’re doing a really good job by taking the meds every day, preventing the virus from getting in your blood. So, being undetectable means that you’re going to stay healthy, it means that you’re not going to transmit HIV, but it doesn’t mean that HIV is gone. It’s still there, it’s just hiding, and should stay that way, because the meds keep it down.

[lottowinnerful]

What causes the medication to make your body temperature rise so high you fee as if you are burning up ?

[franktooley]

If you have HIV and take your on meds would you be OK to add a Prep sometimes if you are having pnp...

[tiawallng]

In future Will their be any medcne which can cure the HIV premeantly..???? .

[kathrinjohnson]

What if I have been undetectable for 12 years so I need treatment